Mistake
by ErzaNee44
Summary: After a fight with his Fearless Leader, Raphael goes to the surface where he meet an injured man. Taking him to the lair, however, may be his greatest mistake. And Leo will be the one paying for it. Warnings: violence and a little bit of rape. Hey Guys! So, that's my first story and i know the summary is really awful buuut i hope you'll enjoy! R&R Rated M to be sure
1. Chapter 1

**TMNT – MISTAKE**

**Chapter 1**

"_Don't you dare touch him again!" I screamed, Watching helplessly as his hands reached his lower plastron. _  
_"Haha, get a grip, Raph. Don't you know manners?2 he answered me, rubbing my brother's thights._  
_Shit. I growled loudly, warning him. _  
_Fucking chains! _  
_"Don't worry. He's gonna enjoy this"_  
_"You asshole!" I shouted._  
_Shell. How did things go so wrong?_

**(**Three weeks earlier)  
Yes, I knew I was in troubles.  
After an argument with Leo, I had run away from the lair to cool down a little and I wasn't going to go back early.

At two A.M I was still outside.  
The sky was nearly black and there were no stars in it to light it up. The roofs were cold under my feet and my bandana's tails were flouting in the violent wind.  
The heavy weather made me feel better, in some way.  
Suddenly, I heard someone screaming for help and the clang of metal against metal.  
In the spur of the moment, I didn't really know what to do. I didn't want Leo to become even angrier because of my "lack of responsibility", as he would call it.  
And you can't hide anything from.  
But the very next moment I didn't give a shit and I hurried up, approaching the sound.  
My feet started to burn as I increased my speed and my breathes became a little irregular.  
The adrenaline was rushing through my body and I could feel my heart pumping the blood in my veins.  
Every beat echoed in my head, pulsing against the skin.  
There weren't screams in the air anymore, just pleading sounds and evil laughs.  
I kept running until I arrived in a dark and stinking blind alley.  
I noticed a manhole down there, which was gonna be very useful once I finished work. I observed what was happening the best I could : thanks to the mutagen, my eyes adapted quickly to the darkness.  
I saw some purple dragons departing the alley, laughing and holding tightly their bats and swinging them in the air.  
I was going to follow them when a moan caught my attention: curled up against a wet wall, there was a man which was hiding his face in his left hand.  
With the other one, he was pressing hardly against his right side.  
So much blood...  
I jumped down from the roof where I was standing and started approaching him.  
As he heard my footsteps, he panicked and tried to get up.  
"Easy there" I told him, trying to sound kind "those purple dragons really beat the crap out of you, uh?"  
He seemed to understand that I wasn't human and in fact he asked me:  
"What…are you?"  
"Weeeell… I'm a mutant turtle, but I'm not gonna tell you my story right now. If you want my help, don't freak out, okay?"  
He remained silent.  
Maybe it was a good sign.  
There was something strange in his eyes but I didn't have the time to think about it, he was going to bleed out.  
"'Kay, listen…" I said, while noticing his dirty clothes and his painful expression "I can't bring you to the hospital, it's way too far… But I think I know somebody who can actually help you"  
I pulled him to his feet and made him lean on me. I closed the manhole behind us and took him to the lair.  
I wasn't aware of the big mistake I was making.


	2. Chapter 2

Sooooooooooooooooo Hey everyone!  
I really wanted to thank you for faving, reading, following and commenting this story! You're all awesome!  
Love you all!  
Also, I know the first chapters are a little short, but they'll become longer, I promise  
Thank you all again! *gives you biscuits*

**Crazygirl2030: **Thanks for writing the first review! I'm glad you like this! Hopefully, I won't disappoint you!  
I'm looking forward to receiving another review from you!  
**Namekiansgottalovethem : **Yes, it was intentional but if you think italic it's a little hard to read, then I won't use that format anymore ;) Thanks a lot for the review! Hope to see another review from you ^^  
** Brittany_kloehn01: **here you've got the next chapter ^^ I know it's short, but as I said before, they'll become longer =) Thanks for your review! I'm looking forward to another one!  
**Crystal Violeta: **Thank you very much! I loved your story "three brothers and a slave" (just wanted to let you know ;) ) I'd love to receive another review from you.

Thanks for following: **LeosVamp, Rose Black Dragon ; horselovers ; wiz-witch in training **and **Mukuto **(Oh God, I can't believe it! Mukuto, you're one of my favorite artists so it's really an honor!)  
Thanks for faving: **Crazygirl2030 ; LeosVamp **and **Mukuto **(again, I'm honored!)

Hope you'll like this ^^  
If you do, please leave a comment

Chapter 2

I was expecting an angry and furious Leo standing there with his arms crossed, ready to give me one of his famous lectures.  
Instead, there was nobody.  
That got me a little confused and I frowned: was he that mad?  
The lair was silent as I entered it and the only sound I could hear was the water of the sewers which flowed repeatedly.  
I thought about what I had told Leo and I realised I needed to apologise –which wasn't going to be easy, however.  
Yeah, I had said a lot of bad (very bad) stuffs…  
"Shit, why am I that pain in the ass?" I mumbled under my breath.  
As I took some steps forward, I noticed the light were all off, except the one in Donnie's lab.  
'Kay… things were getting pretty strange.  
Our big bro would never let Don stay up this late, even if he had to drag him to bed. I am not kidding.  
"Alright" I told the man "Donatello, my bro, is a doctor… kinda. Don't worry you'll be fine"  
"And what's your name?" he managed through the pain.  
"Raphael, but call me Raph" I answered. Then I added "It's better if you don't talk right now".  
I took him to the lab, a big room filled with technological thing, medical kits and some other things used to treat wounds.  
On a wooden table, there was a little computer and sample tubes, some red because of the blood in them.  
When I looked for Don, I found him leaning on a bed .  
I took a better look and I saw Leo was lying on it, sleeping.  
"Hey, what's wrong with Fearless?" I asked, trying to hide the concern in my tone.  
"He passed out. But he's going to be okay. It's nothing to worry about" he explained, then turned to face me.  
He frowned seeing the man.  
"Purple Dragon" I answered an unsaid question.  
He nodded and said nothing. Without wasting time, he started checking on him.  
Meanwhile, I went to the kitchen to have a glass of water and then I returned back to the laboratory.  
I put a chair next to the bed and sat down, waiting Leo to wake up.

"Raph…Raph…Com'on, Raph… Raph!" I nearly jumped out of my skin as I heard somebody calling my name.  
My eyes quickly opened and I looked for any signs of danger everywhere in the room.  
Luckily, there was none. Everything's was fine and calm.  
I felt an hand on my right shoulder and I realised it was Leo's.  
Wait… why were we in Donnie's laboratory?  
I couldn't remember very well.  
"You okay?" he asked me.  
"Yeah, sure" I answered and nodded. Then I remembered what had happened.  
"How 'bout ya?"  
"I'm fine" he said "I was just a little tired. Donnie told me I should rest and skip some trainings but there's nothing to be worry about"  
Though he was smiling, I could see he was upset. And I knew it was because of our fight.  
"Good….good" Geez, why is it so difficult to apologise?  
Just three little words.  
Ah, screw it!  
I let out a deep breath, bowing my head.  
"Listen Leo… I'm sorry. 'kay? Really. I didn't mean any of the things I told ya! And I know I actually say this every time we have a fight, but I mean it, bro!"  
I looked at him, waiting for his response, noticing that his eyes were becoming bright.  
His face softened and he chuckled a little.  
"I know Raph" he reassured me, squeezing my shoulder lightly. Finally, he had a kind smile on his mouth "But know… I'd like to know why there's a stranger here and who he is" he nodded towards the sleeping man I found the day before in the alley. Donnie did a great job: he had white bandages and some stitches ; The wounds were now clean and there were just few bruises.  
He looked a lot better than before.  
Totally. I was a little uncomfortable with my brother's question, since nobody ever saw the lair (apart from Casey and April) and I could feel he didn't really like it.  
However, I owed him an explanation.  
So I told him about the Purple Dragons and how I found the man.  
Leo's face was hesitant.  
"What?" I asked.  
"Are you sure it was a good idea? Bringing him here, I mean"  
Was he serious?  
"Leo, he was probably gonna die!" I exclaimed, incredulous.  
He couldn't be that heartless!  
"I know! I know!" he quickly said "It's just… I don't even know how to explain it! I just think we shouldn't let anyone see the lair!"  
"I can't believe you!" I yelled.  
"Raph, calm down, I was ju-"  
"What's going on?" a hoarse voice interrupted us, cutting him off.  
We both turned towards our "host" as he slowly opened his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update!  
I had a lot of problems and no free time :( I'm really really sorry.  
Thank you very much for faving, commenting or following this story!  
It means a lot!  
As i said in the last chapter, the first chapters are going to be a little short, but they'll become longer, really.

**Rose Black Dragon: **first of all, thank you very much for reviewing! *hugs* Yeah, things are going to get complicated! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter!  
**Crystal Violeta: **You're really welcome! And i should be the one thanking here ^^ So, yeah, thanks a bunch for the review*hugs*! As Donnie will explain, Leo's been put under a looot of stress and he actually fainted (Or so Donnie think). Buuuuut, i needed him to faint for something that will happen in the future.  
**Mukuto: **Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaank you very much! As i already said, I really admire you, so it means a lot! *hugs very thight* Yeah, Leo's totally right... and he'll soon discover it.

Thanks for faving: **Crazygirl2030; LeosVamp; Pen-woman **and **mukuto!  
**Thanks for following: **LeosVamp; Pen-woman; Rose Black Dragon; SafirDrage; Wigeon; horselovers; mukuto **and **wiz-witch in training**

Enjoy!

And leave a little review if you want! ^^

Chapter 3

It took us some time to realize it was the man the one who had spoken.

He slowly sat on the bed while the white sheets slipped off his body and his eyes were trying to focus on us.

He rubbed them with the back of his right hand and coughed a little, then he turned to face us again and seemed to became aware of the situation.

Maybe, he was remembering.

His face twitched because of the pain and he grunted a little.

Didn't Donnie give him any painkillers? Oh well, he's the doctor here.

The man's eyes lingered on Leo's face, studying it for so much time that I thought he was hypnotized by him. I could tell my leader was feeling a little uncomfortable. Well, I was too. It was kinda creepy.

Then he asked me "Raph? Who's that?"

"Leonardo, my bro" I answered sharply, still angry from our argument "There are also Michelangelo and Donatello"

"Do you all look like… this?" his face told me he was interested.

"Yeah…" I murmured. Then I noticed Leo was glancing at me very badly. I could almost hear his voice "Don't give a stranger information about us!".

As if an injured man could cause us any harms. Jerk.

"Umh….. Soooo… Who are you ?" Leo asked, cautious.

Our host seemed to come back from a coma:

"Oh, please, forgive me! I forgot my manners!" he exclaimed "I'm Zayn Webb"

Suddenly, I heard the door behind us making a creak and as I turned I saw Donnie approaching the bed where Leo was lying.

"Hey bro, glad to see you're awake!" he said "How are you doing?"

"Fine, but only because of you. So thank you very much"

"Nah, don't mention it" he answered. Then he added, whispering "Listen… I explained our… situation… to father; he told me he wants us to go in the dojo and that he also wish to meet him "

"Oh, sure"

I observed Don's face. There was something he was trying to hide… was it worry?

Then, seeing my purple-bended brother helping Fearless, I understood that Zayn needed my help to walk.

"Hey" I said while I was approaching him "My father wanna talk to you"

I put him on his feet and he leaned on me as we walked.

The four of us entered the dojo.

"Leo! How are you feeling?" my youngest brother asked, jumping all around our big bro.

"Fine Mikey, thanks" he answered, trying to smile, even if I could tell he was upset about something.

"Kneel, my sons" a deep and gentle voice said.

I glanced up and saw Master Splinter standing in there, watching suspiciously the man.

We did as we were told and knelt down.

Splinter greeted us and asked for Leo's health.

Then, he looked at me:

"Raphael. Would you mind explaining this man's presence in the lair? Who is he?"

"Well, emh… I'm not pretty sure… He's…er.."

"May I speak instead of him?" the host asked.

He bowed his head and started telling:

"My name is Zayn Webb. I am –was- a poor and harmless pharmacist and I never looked for troubles. Things were doing fine, I had a lot of clients, a peaceful life and some money.

But one evening, while I was returning home, some Purple Dragons came out of nowhere demanding payment. It's not that I had a choice: they threatened to burn my house and my pharmacy. And so, every month, I paid them a lot. Unluckily, I started having less clients, which means less money.

Last month, I didn't pay them. I asked them to give some more time but I only got 24 hours. Obviously, I didn't find the money in time, and now I'm homeless. And out of work.

When I meet them somewhere they beat me like that. But yesterday, your son saved me. And I really thank you for this"

There was something strange in his voice, but I didn't say anything because for once somebody was saying I did the right thing.

Master Splinter was reflecting, his eyes were shut.

"Sensei, I think Zayn should go to bed right now. He needs rest" informed Donnie.

Our father opened his eyes and nodded "You may accompany him"

"Hai, sensei" the braniac answered.

Once the left, Leo asked: "What do you think, Sensei?"

"Ummmmh…I'm not sure. Something's not right. Let's keep an eye on him and discover something more. He's still a stranger and we can't completely trust him. However, that doesn't mean he's a bad person. We must wait before judging him. You're dismissed"

"Hai, Sensei!" we exclaimed together.

To be honest, I wasn't really worried about Zayn.

"Leo, Leo, Leo, Leo! Can we have pizza tonight? Pleeeeeeeease" I heard Mikey asking.

"Mikey, we already had pizza for lunch! April went shopping for us a bought a lot of foods! We can't always have pizza!"

Uuuuuuh, big mistake Leo.

"Buuuuut I waaaannaaa eat pizzaaaaaa! Com'ooooon! I know you want it too! I can read your mind, dude! And you absolutely want pizza!"

I chuckled lightly then turned, leaving Leo to deal with him alone.

I went upstairs and walked a long hallway, until I arrived in front of a closed door.

The writing on it said: "Stay Away!"

I entered the room.

I approached Spike then fed him with some lettuce. As I watched my pet eating I thought about Zayn.

Why did everybody think it was wrong to bring him to the lair?

I just didn't want someone to die while I could save him.

After all, I would never leave anyone lay a finger on my bros.

"No one hurts my bros and gets away with it"


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys!  
If you're reading this… then thank you very much, since it means you actually don't dislike this :D  
I'm so glad I'm being able to post this! I'm so so soooo sorry it took me so long! But my computer broke so I had to go on using only my phone. (Which is a little difficult when you have to update something, you know?)  
However, I also wanted this chapter to be longer than the other ones!  
**LeosVamp: **Thank you kindly for your review! I'm so glad you liked this! Hope to not disappoint you and to read whatcha think about this :P  
**Mukuto: **Hahaha, I'm so glad you noticed XD It was my intention, even if we'll soon discover it's not really love what hides behind his eyes. Thank you very much for your review!  
**CrystalVioleta: **Hey there! Here's the new chapter! Sorry it took me so long! Hope you'll like this! Thanks for the review, it means a lot!  
**Haoyoh Asakura: **I'm so glad you found this story interesting! I really hope you'll like this chapter! I loved your review! Thanks for it! Don't worry, I won't forget about it, I just need to find some time ^^  
**tmntlover2013: **Hey :3 Thank you very much for your review, it means a lot to me! It give me the strength to go on! Ok, that sounds strange but I hope you got what I mean XD Thank you again! Here's the new chapter, hope you'll like this! Wanna know whatcha think about it!

**LaraPink777: **ultima ma non meno importante ;) Sono così contenta ti sia piaciuta! La tua opinione conta molto per me :D Spero ti piaccia anche questo capitolo!

Thanks for faving: **Crazygirl2030; Fearless-Leader-Leo; Haoyoh Asakura; LeosVamp; Pen-Woman; mukuto; nicole1977; **

Thanks for following: **LeosVamp, Pen-Woman; Rose Black Dragon; SafirDrage; Wigeon; horselovers; mukuto; wiz-witch in training **

Thank you guys, you're the best! 33  
Enjoy!

Chapter 4

I slowly opened my eyes, grunting when I heard some voices coming from the outside. I pulled the white and soft blanket away from my body and I got up reluctantly, searching for my red mask and my gear. Once I found them under my bed I wore them and crossed the room approaching Spike.  
I patted him on the small and green head and fed him .  
I put my sai in my belt then I opened the dark door, letting rays of light enter my bedroom. The brightness caused some pain so I had to rub my green eyes with the palm of my hand.  
"Breeeeakfaaaaaast!" Mikey shouted, running heavily down the grey stairs, exulting joyfully.  
Such a noisy boy.  
I went downstairs to the kitchen, smelling pancakes and coffe in the air. I smiled. Luckily it has been Donnie that had prepared breakfst and not Leo. You know, that turtle also managed to get a kitchen sink in flames. Not kidding. And once he poisoned all of us. That time we decided he was never going to cook again. Never.  
Said bro entered the room and greeted us:  
"Ohayou"  
"Good morning" we answered. Why the hell did he always have to speak Japanese? Oh well. We sat down at the table and enjoyed the delicious and tasty food.  
"Leo, I need to tell you something really important" Donatello broke the silence "You see, as you all know I examined your blood samples yesterday, since you fainted. At first I thought you simply were under a lot of pressure, being the leader of our team and everything else, or maybe that you had a lack of sugar. But taking a better look at your cells I –umh- found… anomalies" His voice trailed off towards the end. I looked at him carefully.  
Uh, anomalies? What the fu-  
"What does that mean….?" Mikey asked, a confused expression on his young face.  
"I think Leo got a viral infection during one of our patrols. Usually, virus are eliminated in few days. But, in our case, we have to consider the mutagen which flows in our veins. The reaction between it and the infectious agent could be the cause of an excessive weakening of the body. It's nothing serious, we just need to keep everything under control and I'll have to check on you sometimes. Oh, I almost forgot… No training!" He screamed in the end.  
"But, Don-"  
"No buts Leo, you need to rest and I'm sure Sensei agrees with me"  
"Aaaaawwww, I wanna skip training too!" Mikey whined, eyes full of desire "Today is _the _day! The marathon of _Aliens and Titans _is on until one pm! I've been looking forward to seeing it from ages! And I really wanna play with the new videogame April gave me!"  
"Don't you even think about it, Michelangelo" Leo said, severity coloring his tone "You need to improve your ninja skills!"  
Mikey sighed disappointed and I grinned at him. God, I loved my bros.  
The shell-cell in my belt started ringing, tickling my sides, and i picked it up. It was Casey.  
"Yo, dumbass!" Leo glared at me , screaming "LANGUAGE!". I laughed and listened my bestfriend. He asked me "Wanna pass by later? April's out with a friend of her and I think I have some beer left in the fridge. We could watch some wrestling"  
"Yeah, why not? Count on me, see ya tonight"  
I ended the phone call ad swallowed some orange juice.  
"Hey, Raph, be careful out there. We didn't heard of the Foot for a while, which means they're planning something and yo-"  
"Relax, Fearless! Nothing's gonna happen, 'kay? Geez, it's not like I always look for troubles" I cut him off.  
He frowned, raising his eyebrow.  
"Okay, maybe I do look for troubles, but not this time. I'll spend the night at Casey's and I'll head home before the morning. Just give me some space"  
He sighed, looking away as he quietly mumbled something to himself.  
I left him alone and went to the dojo where, joined by my younger brothers, we started to warm up and stretch, waiting for Master Splinter to show up.  
As he did, he greeted us, gave a little demonstration and showed us some new katas, pretty difficult.  
We tried to copy him but it resulted really hard, since he executed them perfectly and his movements were graceful and amazing.  
After that part of the training, we sparred and, much to my annoyance, we meditated.  
Then I went to the showers and had one, since I didn't really want to smell in the evening at Casey's.  
Once I was done, I dried myself off and returned to the kitchen, where I found Mikey trying to prevail upon Leo to eat anything heavier than an apple. Unsuccessfully. Not that I was expecting my older brother to give in. He eat nothing until he really is hungry. Even if he's ill. Especially if he's ill.  
I sighed and passed them and went to Donnie's lab: the genius was working at something grey which hadn't a form yet. He lifted his scientist glasses to look at me puzzled.  
"Umh… Raph? Can I help you with something?" he asked me, settling down the screwdriver he was holding.  
I sighed, looking at him seriously:  
"Listen… You know I won't be at home tonight. Usually I don't really worry about anything but since Fearless is ill and we have our "guest" I'd like to hear you saying you will keep everything under control. Really, don't let Leo overwork himself and don't let Mikey bother him too much. Also, go to bed. You know Leo won't let you stay up too late and he will carry you to bed if he has to, even if he doesn't have the strength. I think you're the most responsible here so I count on you." Damn, when did I start gettin' so sappy? God, where is the Raphael I knew?  
"And don't ya dare tell this anyone or I swear I'm gonna smash yer head" Here it is! Glad he's back.  
My genius bro look at me and smile kindly, putting a comforting hand on my left shoulder:  
"I'll take care of everything" he said. "And I won't tell anything" Whew, thank God.  
"Good" I answered, then I left the room knowing that he was aware of my appreciativeness somehow.  
I take another look at my youngest and oldest brothers, the latter looked very annoyed otherwise Mikey seemed pretty stubborn.  
I shook my head and grabbed my coat from the coat rack.  
I wore it and left.  
Walking through the dirty and wet sewers I listened to the sound of the dripping water and thought about everything that had happened to us in a few days.  
My fight with my bro, Zayn, Leo's illness…  
I kept walking until I saw a manhole: then I approached it and shifted it with a quick movement. With the help of my hand I lifted myself up; then I headed towards Casey and April's house.  
Running on the roofs I felt the wind brushing my face and the tails of my bandana, which were flowing. My mind screaming for me to not stop. It reminded me of that night, the one that brought me to Zayn.  
Scrolling of those thoughts I just stared ahead of me, thinking about nothing.  
I arrived after some minutes at the big and old flat. I reached the dark window which was always left opened by our human friends.  
Getting into the living room, I noticed Casey sprawled all over the huge and comfortable couch.  
"Yo, Case!" I greeted him, announcing my presence.  
He turned and lifted an hand, waving it "Hey, Raph!" He made me some space on the sofa. I went to the fridge and grabbed some beers then I returned back and sat down.  
On tv there was a wrestling match. Good, I really wanted to see one.  
"So, Dumbass, where's April?"  
"Already told ya, she's out" he answered, drinking some of his beer.  
"Jerk, ya know what I meant" I said, chuckling a little.  
"This afternoon she went out for a new haircut but now she's meeting a friend of her, Irma"  
"Uhuh" I said, not really listening to him. Why did I even ask that? Oh, well, doesn't matter.  
"How are things doing at home?" he asked me, after some time spent shouting at the wrestlers.  
"Ummmm….Fine… I think…" I answered. He looked at me intensely then, after swallowing another sip, he said:  
"What happened?"  
And so I explained him everything, including all the discussions, problems and fights my family had went through.  
He listened to me, he even turned off the tv, and kept nodding as I told him carefully the story of Zayn.  
It felt pretty fine to take that burden off my shoulders.  
And I was really glad I had a friend which listened to me, without judging or arguing.  
"Look" he said seriously "You did great, okay? You just saved a poor man's life. Trust me, your brothers would have done the same if they were you. And, if you were them, you wouldn't be so happy about him in the lair. I'm sure about this." He sighed "Listen. I don't know if you understand what I'm trying to tell you, but the point is: you did good. But you also have to see things from the point of view of your bros. Likewise they have to see things from your point of view. And don't worry. Things are going to get better"  
"Thanks Casey" I answered, smiling a little.  
"Don't ya mention it" he said, regaining his accent. "However did ya hear anything 'bout the Foot?"  
"Nope. You?"  
"No. Nothing. It's like they disappeared from the Earth"  
"People don't just "disappear" Casey" I pointed out.  
"Heck, I know! But still things are a little too calm"  
"Yeah, you're right" I agreed, looking at the night black sky from the window.  
If the Foot was up to something, it was my duty to found out what and stop them.  
I glanced at the crooked clock hung on one of the yellow wall and decided it was time for me to go home: even if I'd have loved to stay there a little more, I knew Leo was already under a lot of pressure and I didn't want to make him also worry 'bout me.

TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT

The next day, I spent the morning working at my black and red bike. I stayed in that room all the time, trying to figure out why it was giving me so much problems lately. However I didn't succeed and that got me a little nervous. It was the first time I couldn't understand something about my babe. In the afternoon I decided I was gonna ask Donnie to help me, since it was gonna make things a lot easier.  
As I entered the living room, I was overwhelmed by a joyful and noisy Mikey.  
'Damn' I thought, very pissed I couldn't get away from his bear hug. He was literally choking me.  
"Oh, Raph! I was so boooooored! Finally you came out of there! I'm so happy I could cry!" he jumped off me "Com'on Raph, let's go play some videogames! It's been a boring day!"  
"Wohoo, wait! I don't wanna play with you. I need to talk with Donnie" I answered. His face became very disappointed. Ugh, why me?  
"Listen Mikey, I have other things to do right now. Maybe later, 'kay?"  
"Hey, if you want, I could play with you" offered a voice behind me. I turned and saw Zayn standing there, a kind smile on his face.  
I smiled too, since he actually drove Mikey's attention away from me.  
"Really? You play videogames? But you're 30! You're old!" he pointed out, even if I could already see the sparkles in his eyes.  
Zayn laughed "Hey, I'm only 27! I'm not so old!" there was something strange in his voice. I shrugged imperceptibly, scrolling the bad sensation off. He was probably still recovering.  
Thinking of that, could he stay out of bed?  
As if he read my mind, he assured:  
"I have your brother's permission"  
I nodded, then I turned towards the kitchen as I sensed somebody coming out of there.  
Oddly, it was Leo.  
The strange thing was that he usually was so silent that I couldn't even hear him when in the lair there were no rumors.  
Fault of his illness.  
"Leo!" Mikey exclaimed, running towards him and giving him a quickly hug "How are you doing bro?"  
"Fine, thanks Mikey" he answered with a reassuring smile.  
"I'm so glad to hear this, Leonardo" Zayn announced, coming near us.  
Just as the other day, his eyes lingered on my blue-clad brother's face.  
I didn't know why, but every time they were in the same room, the man seemed to close himself in his own world and kept staring at Leo.  
You know magnet? Well, something like that.  
"Leo, you wanna play videogames too?" Mikey asked, getting enthusiastic.  
"Ah, erm, no, thanks. However I have nothing to do, so I'll just watch you guys" he decided.  
While my two bros and the guest sat down on the couch, I noticed Leo had a little scratch pad in his right green hand. No, he didn't have a scratch pad. He had _the _scratch pad. I smirked. The one he used when he was young. When he became the leader of our team, he stopped drawing. But right there, when I saw it, I couldn't not remember he always used to draw everything in there.  
He never showed anyone. Just me, sometimes.  
God, we were so tight. We spent all days together.  
I guess growing does have a negative side.  
However, I felt very happy seeing him taking out a pencil, staring for some minutes at the white paper, thinking; and then, slowly, he started drawing.  
I heard some noises coming from inside Donnie's lab and decided I was gonna ask him about the bike in that moment.  
I entered the room full of technological things and looked for him.  
Once I found him, I told him about my problems and he answered me he was going to help me as soon as he could. Some days and my babe was going to be okay again.  
I wanted to ask the Braniac about Leo's health but we saw Master Splinter standing on the threshold. We both bowed and greeted him.  
"Donatello" he called him softly but serious "I was thinking about something, my son"  
"W-what is it, father?" he asked, stuttering a little. Such a shy boy. I smiled.  
"Would it be possible for you to discover something else about our host? While I understand the decision Raphael made, I would love to know more about that guest"  
I felt a little reassured from my father's last sentence _I understand the decision Raphael made_.  
Good. Very good.  
"Sure, father. It shouldn't take a lot of time, I'll inform you when I'll be able to get information about him"  
"Very well, my son. Thank you"  
"You're welcome, Sensei" he answered.  
My father turned to leave and when he did, I asked Donnie about my brother's condition.  
"Everything okay" he announced "He just need to regain his strength. And rest for a week or two"  
I nodded and left the room.  
Returning to the living room, I heard Mikey complaining about losing and Zayn laughing a little.  
I watched the scene.  
On the tv screen there was the score: Zayn-240; Mikey-39  
_YOU KIDDING?! _I screamed in my mind.  
"Not fair!" my youngest bro whined repeatedly.  
Then the human made his way near my bro, which was still drawing, and asked him "Whatcha doing?"  
"Nothing" he answered quickly, getting up and passing me as he went into his room upstairs.

TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT

I gently knocked on the wooden door of my brother's room.  
I heard some noises inside, coming towards me, and after some time Leo's face appeared in front of mine.  
I locked my eyes with his, trying to read his feelings or thoughts. His gaze softened as he saw me.  
"Hey" he breathed out.  
"Hey" I echoed him.  
He moved a little to his side so that I could enter his room. Once I did, he closed the door behind us.  
"Can I help you?" he asked me kindly.  
I didn't really know why I had gone to his room. I just felt like doing it.  
"Wanted to know how you were doing" I said, not really lying.  
"Fine. Better than the other day"  
"Good…" I remembered something "Listen, today I saw you using your old pad. Where did you found it? I mean, last time you used it you were…what? 10?"  
He chuckled a little "Yeah, you're right. Didn't know you remembered it. However, it was in the box with all the things I used when I was a child. It just came through my mind and I had to look for it"  
"May I see it again?" I underlined the last word.  
He seemed unsure and looked at me puzzled. But then he smiled and handed it to me.  
I flipped through the pages, seeing his amazing skills and his expertise in every single drawings.  
His hands were absolutely magic.  
I stopped when I saw a picture I already knew.  
"Ehe, I remember this" I said, observing the drawing to memorize every single detail once again.  
It represented us, at each other's side. A little smile in each face. His arm around my shoulder, mine around his waist.  
It had been made when the two of us were always together. When he was just 'Leo'. Not 'Fearless', nor 'Leader'. Just my bro.  
I missed the old days.  
I didn't realize I was smiling until he pointed it out.  
"Well, gotta go" I said, getting up "I suppose you need your rest. Good night"  
"Good night" he answered back.  
_'Love ya' _I thought, but didn't dare admit it.  
_  
_


End file.
